Mom's Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Mom's Creamy Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup is the perfect soup for the fall and the cold weather months. Even for the non tomato soup lovers you will love this creamy tomato soup that will warm you up after the long day.

Ingredients

• 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes with the juice

• 1 cup finely diced celery

• 1 cup finely diced carrots

• 1 cup finely diced yellow onions

• 1 tsp dried oregano or 1 tablespoon fresh

• 1 tablespoon basil or ¼ cup fresh

• 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder

• 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable stock

• ½ bay leaf

• ½ cup flour

• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

• 2 cups half and half, warmed

• 1 tsp salt

• ¼ tsp black pepper

Directions

Step One - The Base (Start about 8 hours before serving)

• By Hand, or I like to use a KitchenAid food processor, dice the onion, celery, and carrots and place them in a slow cooker

• Add oregano, basil, chili, tomatoes, broth or stock and lastly a bay leaf. Stir well.

• Cover and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours

Step Two - The Roux (1 hour before serving) (check the bottom to see the images of the steps )

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Once the butter is melted you can start to gradually add in the flour using a whisk. My favorite whisk to use is the 10” stainless steel whisk by Pampered Chef. It is perfect to obtain the batter like consistency.

• Whisk for 5 to 7 minutes

• Stir in 1 cup of hot soup and continue to whisk. The roux will start to thicken. Gradually add another 3 cups of the hot soup and stir after each addition until smooth. ( It will be a creamy mashed potato like consistency)

Step Three - The Soup (30 minutes before serving)

• Add the roux back into the slow cooker and whisk smooth

• Add the shredded parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper

• Add additional basil and oregano if needed

• Cover and cook for additional 30 minutes on low, or keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve warm with additional sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.

---

ROUX STEPS